Salted Caramel Chocolate Chunk Pecan Cookies

Sometimes a girl's gotta do~

what a girl's gotta do.

That could mean heading back to yoga after "missing in action" for over a month.

It might mean exfoliating her face after looking in a magnified mirror with reading glasses on.

That's scary...don't do it!

It could be as simple as taking the time to ENJOY the sunshine...

or hiking two~ six mile treks twice in one weekend...

or watching the movie "Disclosure" and thinking it was FOR REAL because Michael Douglas 

seriously lived on  Bainbridge Island in the movie and commuted to Seattle on the ferry.

Mostly likely it means {once again} weaning herself off of sugar/bad carbs...

and vowing to workout twice a day!

It probably means watching Season 6 of Dexter over and over again to make 

sure she's ready when DEXTER/Season 7 finally premiers.

Whatever it is...

all girls know it...

all girls do it.

There are times~

when a girl's gotta do what she's just gotta do.

Mixing salted CARAMEL with chunks of CHOCOLATE and toasted PECANS

was one of those times.

I just had to do it!

Here's what you do if YOU gotta/wanna do it too:

Adapted from The Best One-Bowl Chocolate Chunk-Pecan Cookies 

from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey.

1 1/2 cups pecans {toasted and roughly chopped}

1 cup {2 sticks} unsalted butter

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups semisweet chocolate chunks

1 heaping cup caramel chunks {lightly salted with sea salt}

sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees for toasting pecans.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

***I popped over to see how Jessica at How Sweet It Is added chunks of caramel to cookies.

Pop over and take a peek at Jessica's Salty Chocolate-Caramel Turtle Cookies.

Begin by toasting the pecans.

Roughly chop pecans.

Measure out a heaping cup of caramels.

Chop and lightly salt chunks of caramel.

Melt the butter.

Pour butter in bowl of electric mixer.

Add brown sugar and granulated sugar.

Beat the butter and sugar til combined.

Add salt~vanilla and eggs.

Add flour~baking soda and baking powder.

Mix on medium speed til combined.

Add chunks of chocolate.

Add toasted pecans.

Add 1/2 cup of salted caramels.

Save the rest of the caramel chunks to smush in cookies ready to bake.

Fold this goodness into the cookie dough.

Keep on folding.

Resist the urge to STOP the folding~

 pour up a diet coke~

sit down with the bowl~

and watch an episode of Dexter.

Resist!

Hear me. 

Scoop out the cookie dough using a 2 ounce ice cream scoop or 1/4 measuring cup.

Form scoops into balls.

Place cookie dough balls on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Place cookie sheet in fridge to chill for 45 minutes until firm.

Preheat oven again to 350.

Press 3 caramel chunks in each cookie.

Sprinkle each cookie lightly with sea salt.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 - 18 minutes.

Cookies should be crisp and golden around the edges.

You may see some caramel ooooZing out of a cookie or two.

That's okay.

Right.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chunk Pecan Cookies

Sometimes a girl's gotta do~

what a girl's gotta do.

xo